Old Infected Types

Hunter

The Hunter is a high-damaging infected type, but must be used in cooperation with other types to be truly effective. The main attack is a pounce that pins a survivor while the Hunter repeatedly swipes for 10 HP a hit. This can only be executed while the Hunter is in a crouching position. You must crouch briefly before leaping.

The Hunter should always be used to catch straggling survivors. A pounce into a pack of survivors is a bad idea -- unless there's acid or fire under them or they are getting swarmed by the Horde. Make players back track to save their pinned compatriot and you'll have more time to mess with them.

The Hunter can be knocked off with a melee attack killed to stop its assault. If the Hunter is melee attacked and lands free of an obstacle, it can instantly pounce again after rolling backwards. Otherwise, the pounce attack must recharge. The Hunter also has a swipe attack that is made less effective due to the Hunter's miniscule life bar. Nevertheless, swiping at weakened (red) survivors or a survivor distracted by the Horde is an effective strategy.

The Hunter is one of the loudest infected types and its scream is instantly recognizable to players. Spawn nearby the survivors and pounce quickly.

The leap knocks back and stuns nearby survivors for a short time period.

A burning Hunter deals more damage to a survivor it has pinned. Don't be afraid to pounce into fire.

You can get a damage bonus from your pounce by increasing the distance you travel in the air. Thus, leaping off of a roof can result in up to 25 HP damage -- just make sure you aim well (you can pilot the Hunter slightly in the air).

Pin people in acid to incapacitate them in seconds.

Pin people when they are covered in puke and the Horde will protect you from damage.

The Hunter can interrupt attacks, which is usually a bad idea (don't snag someone from a Smoker), but if a Jockey has carried a survivor far from the pack, take over to finish the wayward survivor off quickly and let the Jockey have another ride.

Strike during a Tank attack and survivors will be too distracted to notice their missing teammate.

Boomer

The Boomer's primary attack is a spout of vomit that summons the Horde to attack a soaked survivor. Soaked survivors appear with a purple outline. The Boomer is a difficult infected type to get used to due to its miniscule life bar and girth which makes it easy to hit. As if this weren't bad enough, its recognizable gurgling makes it an even easier target for wary survivors.

Thankfully, the Boomer also serves as a walking bile bomb -- any nearby survivors will be covered in puke if the Boomer is destroyed nearby. This makes the Boomer one of the best candidates for a suicide run. Appear just ahead of the survivors and run at them while puking. Hopefully they'll panic and pop the Boomer, covering them in bile.

The Boomer's secondary attack is a claw swipe that can be used to attack survivors temporarily blinded by puke or overcome by the Horde. If you puke on survivors up close, you may as well run in an claw them since retreat is difficult.

Stick to the rooftops and puke downwards if you want to survive as a Boomer. The recharge time is lengthy, and only the roof can allow you to both hide and keep up with the survivors. Plus, dropping down into the middle of a pack of survivors almost ensures they'll be covered in bile.

Spray Hunters to call the Horde to surround and protect them from harm.

Try to catch survivors near cars with alarms or Witches -- they will most likely spray shots randomly as they are blinded and the Horde approaches.

Smoker

The Smoker functions somewhat like the Hunter -- its primary attack, a tongue constriction, paralyzes a survivor and drains his or life in the process. The tongue attack drags a survivor towards the Smoker linearly over a wide distance, although the survivor will stop if he or she hits an obstacle. If the survivor is dragged all the way to the Smoker's location, additional damage will be inflicted.

The common place to tether survivors is on rooftops. From here you can constrict and then retreat quickly if you are interrupted. Like Jockeys and Hunters, stragglers should be your primary targets.

The Smoker has a weak claw attack that can be used if cornered and as a last resort.

Strike during a Tank attack and survivors will be too distracted to notice their missing teammate.

Stand on or behind cars with alarms and the survivors will most likely shoot the car and set off the alarm.

Common infected attack constricted survivors, so work with Boomers to grab survivors that have been puked on.

If the survivors are high above you, you can pull them down and deal extra fall damage. The other survivors will have to deviate from their route to save their comrade.

If you know a level well, be sure to pull the survivor away from the survivors' goal or safehouse. This will force the others to backtrack giving you more time for mischief.

Always attack from the rear to avoid getting shot by the very survivor you've constricted.

You can jump slightly above certain obstacles and snag a survivor to constrict, then fall back down, safely hidden behind the object.

If you grab a survivor directly below you, you'll immediately inflict great damage.

Tank

The Tank is the ultimate survivor-smashing tool. The Tank has the largest amount of health out of any of the special infected. You will only be able to play as the tank during certain times in an episode, and sometimes only in the finale. If you don't do any damage as the tank in a set time, you will lose control to the computer or another player.

The Tank has two main attacks: one is a melee attack that knocks survivors far away. The other allows you to pick up a piece of concrete from the ground and toss it at the survivors, knocking them down and damaging them. This throw is often underestimated even though it can keep you at a safe distance while allowing you to inflict damage. Be sure to aim high, as the projectile will fall a bit as it travels. You can always toss a projectile then melee attack immediately afterward, so alternating the attacks increases your smashing potential.

The Tank can also punch certain objects and send them flying towards survivors -- like cars. These are outlined in red.

The Tank can kill special infected by accident, so keep clear of your teammates.

Avoid fire at all costs -- you will never stop burning and it will eventually kill you, even if the survivors do not.

Try to swipe survivors in different directions to separate them and let your fellow infected move in for the kill.

Your attacks can be used to hit survivors through some walls -- such as the CEDA trailer in The Parish.

The Tank's appearance incurs recognizable sounds, music and rumbling. Try to catch survivors off guard by approaching from novel paths, like over buildings.

Try to attack in tight quarters, since survivors are much better at killing Tanks in the open.

Once you incapacitate a survivor, move on to another one. A Spitter or another special infected can take over at that point. When the survivors move to help their friend, go for them.

The tank can swipe people off of ledges for instant kills or incapacitation.